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NiGHTS
NiGHTS (ナイツ Naitsu) is a First-level Nightmaren and the primary protagonist of the NiGHTS series. NiGHTS is a playful, kind, and free spirited creature who dwells in the Night Dimension. Although created by the evil Wizeman, (s)he didn't agree with Wizeman's plans to take over Nightopia and rebelled. Thanks to an Ideya shard imbedded in his/her chest NiGHTS can dualize with a Visitor, a trick that allows him/her to escape the Ideya Palaces used to confine him/her. Reala, a fellow 1st Level Nightmaren, and NiGHTS are equal in their acrobatic fighting abilities and both served under their creator Wizeman, but are enemies due to their opposite personalities and opinions of their master, making them heated rivals. NiGHTS is much like'' Peter Pan, a character created by Scottish-born English author JM Barrie. They both are capable of flight, are childlike, they never grow-up or age, and take children with them on adventures in their worlds. The only difference is that Neverland is a "real" physical place (at least in the original novel and Warner Brothers movie adaptation) while Nightopia is a dream world that exists in another dimension and can only be visited in a human's dreams or subconscious. Physical Appearance NiGHTS is a Nightmaren that has the appearance of a jester. NiGHTS has cream colored skin, blue eyes with what appears to be cat-like pupils or "smooth slits" and a thin body. His/Her attire consists of a unique jester-like outfit; a purple striped jester hat, a magenta collared vest with red and gold accents encrusted with blue diamond shaped jewels and gold star shaped buttons and has a large red jewel on its chest, white long sleeves embedded with faint gray markings along with violet and gold patterned cuffs, a pair of white gloves (no gloves in the Nights into Dreams), and tight violet overalls around the feet up with magenta and gold coloring around the feet and legs and white runes or markings on his/her hips/thighs. NiGHTS's Persona has a red jewel in the center with a blue feather in the middle sticking straight up. (S)he is rarely seen wearing it as it is a symbol of loyalty to Wizeman, however various types of personas grant transformation powers so it is implied (s)he ''does wear them when needed (or as shown in Helen's Story in Journey of Dreams when (s)he wants to appear fancy as the Persona's are quite ornate). In the original Saturn game, NiGHTS had no connection to his/her hands and head (comparable to the character of Rayman), the redesign for Journey of Dreams places clothing in the way so it is unknown if those features are still intact (some official art indicates a lack of wrists and neck, but this is not present in the game due to the aforementioned reason). NiGHTS' over all appearance is typical of the 1st Level Nightmarens we've seen; matching Reala in basic design. Character NiGHTS is a first-level Nightmaren, created by Wizeman to steal Ideya. Despite being one of Wizeman's most powerful creations, NiGHTS is a remarkably mischievous free spirit who did not like taking orders, so much so that Wizeman has on multiple occasions, imprisoned him/her within Nightopia to keep him/her out of the way. NiGHTS asks for the assistance of the Visitors (Claris and Elliot in Nights into Dreams and William and Helen in Nights: Journey of Dreams) in defeating Wizeman. The reason why NiGHTS beats Wizeman is because NiGHTS simply doesn't like Wizeman, and not because (s)he is inherently 'good'. NiGHTS is officially genderless, as stated by creator, Yuji Naka, and often changes to suit the individual people and scenery NiGHTS encounters. It should be noted that all Nightmaren are genderless, including NiGHTS' rival and sibling, Reala. NiGHTS into Dreams NiGHTS is a 1st Level Nightmaren (the most advanced and powerful) created by Wizeman. (S)he was very mischievous and disliked being ordered around. After rebelling against Wizeman, NiGHTS is imprisoned in an Ideya Palace. The only way NiGHTS can be freed from the prison is by merging with either Claris or Elliot who possess the Red Ideya of Courage. NiGHTS' helps them collect their stolen Ideya from the Nightmarens, but his/her freedom is only temporary. If time runs out, NiGHTS will be pulled back to the Ideya Palace leaving the child to find their way back to him/her and try again. The children have lost their Ideya due to stress in the waking world and became targets for the Nightmares. NiGHTS is eager to disrupt Wizeman's plan and helps the children conquer their fears, reclaim their Ideya each night, and ultimately defeat Wizeman. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Some time after the events of the Into Dreams, NiGHTS comes into contact with two new Visitors from the city of Bellbridge, Will and Helen, who possess an Ideya of courage. This gives them the strength to free NiGHTS when (s)he is swiftly imprisoned at the beginning of each story by Reala and his underlings. NiGHTS often wanders off on his/her own throughout the game, leaving the player in control of the Visitor. This occurs most often at the Dream Gate, leaving the Visitor to encounter NiGHTS already beyond the Door to Nightopia (or floating by the Dream Gate fountain if you want to take a fly around). NiGHTS and the Visitors battle vicious 2nd Level Nightmarens and even Reala himself on an occasion, regaining each child's Ideya in the process. In the normal endings, Wizeman becomes frustrated with his servants and steps in to take NiGHTS back himself, dragging Helen down as well. NiGHTS is then imprisoned on the top of the dream-Bellbridge clocktower, and is rescued by the children after they unleash the true power of the Ideya of courage. They face Wizeman, dualizing into two NiGHTS to stop his evil plans. When he is defeated, the children wake up with renewed determination. In the True Endings, the final Ideya of Hope appears on the staircase but Wizeman is waiting. NiGHTS is knocked out and dragged down alone, Wizeman planning to remove NiGHTS' consciousness and replace it with one that will make him/her obey him. The children finally realize the mistakes they've made and gain new resolve, jumping into the abyss to rescue NiGHTS, unfortunately Reala appears once they free him/her and NiGHTS must battle him a final time to reach Wizeman. As darkness envelopes dream Bellbridge the three Dualize, they face Wizeman the Wicked together, but he taunts NiGHTS with the knowledge of his/her demise should Wizeman be defeated. The children can't bear to lose NiGHTS, but are reassured of their own strength and free will, so they work together to defeat him. After NiGHTS, Will, and Helen defeat Wizeman, NIGHTS gives a final bow before fading away into white light. It is unclear whether or not NIGHTS "disappeared forever" as after the credits the child of choice is seen sleeping in their bed and then the camera pans out towards the clock tower where you can see NiGHTS on the top on the spire, imaginary flute in hand, peacefully watching over the city. It is possible this meant disappearing from only Will and Helen's dreams forever and not the Night Dimension in general. Another NiGHTS game is not confirmed. While there is a desire, and demand, for further NiGHTS games the decision is in the hands of SEGA. Gender The original designers of NiGHTS wanted NiGHTS to appeal to a wider audience and saw gender would hold their new character back. During an interview, Takashi Iizuka stated, "NiGHTS is neutral, and therefore has no gender. The impressions of the character with regards to gender are totally up to the player." Sega has confirmed multiple times that NiGHTS is genderless as well as all the other Nightmaren. Nights: Journey of Dreams, caused some confusion from people not familiar with these facts. NiGHTS is referred to as a male by Owl, Will and Reala, but is voiced by a woman. In many cases, boys are voiced by women in animation and video games to give them a more authentic "young" sound, but also have the experience of age and ease of working with an adult as opposed to a child. In Japanese, there are pronouns that are considered unisex, but no such pronouns exist in English. It is possible that NiGHTS was referred to as a male merely due to the fact that the only gender neutral pronoun in the English language is "it" which is considered very rude when referring to a person. Referring to NiGHTS as a "he" was not to confuse the fans or players, nor to give NiGHTS a gender, but to merely be polite. Personality NiGHTS personality is somewhat that of a child. (S)he is playful, impatient and mischievous, but also kind-hearted and understanding. NiGHTS is very compassionate towards visitors even going as far as to put personal feelings aside. For example, in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams' Sky Concert stage NiGHTS is asked by Helen if they can join the concert NiGHTS declined the offer, but had a change of heart upon seeing how important it was to Helen. NiGHTS is very comforting and encouraging when needed and despite appearances, does know how to take things seriously. NiGHTS prides him/herself in not being afraid of anything; seemingly offended (or perhaps defensive) when Owl raised the possibility. NiGHTS is loyal to what (s)he believes in and refuses to bow to Wizeman's cruel Nightmares no matter what the cost. In the final stage, NiGHTS made the ultimate sacrifice. In the cinema before the fight against Wizeman (extended version), Wizeman reveals when he is destroyed, everything he created will be destroyed as well, including NiGHTS. NiGHTS than states that (s)he knew that all along, yet is prepared to battle Wizeman to the very end. NiGHTS is also very merciful and caring. For instance, after beating Reala in the Delight City stage shows concern when he appears hurt. In many occasions NiGHTS calls for a "fair fight" with Reala despite having no real reason to believe he'd keep such a promise leading Reala to call him/her "gullible", its possible NiGHTS trusts easily, but (s)he could also just be looking for the good/honorable side in others. If there is one thing NiGHTS dislikes, aside from Wizeman and his plans, its revealing his/her identity as a Nightmaren to Visitors. NiGHTS is visibly displeased when Reala refers to him/her as such and Helen's horrified reaction affected NiGHTS so deeply (s)he did not react quickly enough to save her. At the same time NiGHTS does not appear to be ashamed of being a Nightmaren; in the story book (s)he acknowledges the truth, but argues that only who someone is right now ''matters. Abilities 'Flight: NiGHTS' main and most notable ability is flight, able to fly freely and gracefully through the air. While flying NiGHTS can perform Acrobatics, which are flips while emitting bright yellow ribbon-like light from his/her hands, to show how easy and comfortable flying is for him/her. (S)he also can fly at great speeds able to fly as fast as the fastest thing alive. Besides flying, NiGHTS shows various other abilities in both games. ''Assimilation/Dualize'': NiGHTS has the ability to Dualize with Visitors, with this (s)he and a Visitor can assimilate with one another or become in sync, to do this the two must touch or at least hold hands. While they are Dualized the Visitor literally becomes NiGHTS and either one can be in control of the other's movements, mostly NiGHTS. This also helps him/her escape the "NiGHTS Capture" as Dualizing with a Visitor who possesses the Red Ideya of Courage is enough to break NiGHTS free of the inescapable cage. This is a required ability when using NiGHTS in both games. ''Drill Dash'': NiGHTS can also use an attack called the Drill Dash, which is his/her most basic attack. With this ability (s)he is able to attack and defeat a simple 3rd level Nightmaren. The Drill Dash can also help NiGHTS move or fly twice as fast merely to catch up with Goodles in Nights: Journey of Dreams. The Drill Dash is a possible reference to Sonic the Hedgehog's Spin Dash as both abilities require a form of spinning(Sonic spins into a spiky ball while NiGHTS spins into a spiral or a screw) and can be used to attack enemies and move faster. ''Strength'': To some extant, NiGHTS is shown to have strength above that of a normal person as (s)he can move objects and wound creatures (or in which case a Nightmaren) three to four times his/her size. ''Persona Masks'': In the first game, NiGHTS shows the ability to transform into a bobsled, an ability that was expanded upon in the sequel with the introduction of Persona Masks. Each mask allows NiGHTS to change forms and abilities accordingly, including those of a dragon for gust resistance, a rocket for acceleration and a dolphin for swimming. ''Transformation'': Along with the Persona Masks, NiGHTS is also able to transform into a boat and a roller coaster, as well as rolling up in a ball to roll down slides (a possible reference to Sonic Team's title character Sonic the Hedgehog). In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed, NiGHTS is able to take the form of a racecar, a speedboat and a jetplane. NiGHTS can transform into virtually anything. ''Paraloops'': NiGHTS can create small portals called Paraloops with 'Twinkle Dust' emits from his/her hands by flying in a circle. This ability sends who or whatever gets sucked in to an unknown space, but in Nights: Journey of Dreams the Paraloop simply sends Nightopians(and apparently Nightmarens) to the My Dream world. This ability is also useful in collecting Blue Chips and certain other items. NiGHTS' Paraloop is considered as a hammerspace for the items (s)he has collected and a portal to other locations for creatures. ''Dream Flute'': If counted as an ability, NiGHTS possesses what is called the Dream Flute, which is an invisible or otherwise an imaginary instrument that NiGHTS plays when (s)he is alone usually to keep him/herself calm, relaxed and at peace. When one hears NiGHTS playing his/her flute the music is almost always the flute version his/her own theme song "Dreams Dreams". ''Energy Bolt Projection'': In some games, NiGHTS can shoot deep purple bolts of energy. ''Night Mode'': NiGHTS will send him/herself and the enemy into the night sky, in which NIGHTS will shoot a powerful blast of energy, then will make the moon shoot a beam of moonlight down on the target. ''Dream Diamond'': NiGHTS summons a blue diamond, and can make it shoot a ray of blue energy. Home NiGHTS comes from the dream world of Nightopia (referred to in-game as the Night Dimension), and takes shape according to the thoughts, ideas, personalities, and will of the Visitors (humans from the real world). NiGHTS lives alongside Owl, a brown owl who acts as the elder and guide in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, and the Nightopians. NiGHTS however is a Nightmaren and henceforth, the origin of creation is in the dark realm of Nightmare. NiGHTS does what (s)he can to stop Wizeman from taking over the Night Dimension. Interaction with other characters '''The Visitors: (Claris, Elliot, Will and Helen) NIGHTS is kind towards the children in both games, helping all four of them to defeat Wizeman on two separate occasions. NiGHTS shows the children around different Dream Worlds and works together with them to dispatch numerous Nightmaren and overcome their fears. Owl: '''NIGHTS shows disrespect for Owl on a regular basis, treating him like a dottering old man. Owl is often frustrated with NiGHTS' rambunctious behavior, and occasionally lectures him/her, but to no avail. '''Wizeman: NIGHTS shows a special distaste for Wizeman and was once one of his highest ranked henchment. NiGHTS is glad to put a halt to Wizeman's plans, and has defeated Wizeman in combat twice. It was specially stated that the reason NiGHTS rebels against Wizeman is not because NiGHTS is good and Wizeman is evil, but because NiGHTS disagrees with Wizeman's methods and ideals. Reala: NIGHTS' relationship with Reala appears complicated. NiGHTS does not seem to hold any particular animosity towards Reala, at least not as much as towards Wizeman, and (in Will's story) usually tries to brush him off. By a similar token Reala does not always act violently toward NiGHTS immediately, often attempting to persuade NiGHTS into giving in. When open hostility is shown NiGHTS is not hesitant to fight. Creation and conception Naoto Oshima was the original Nights designer and Kazuyuki Hoshino was the character designer for the video game Nights into Dreams. Though Nights into Dreams was left without a sequel for over a decade, the character continued to appear within games developed by Sonic Team as a cameo, showing much affection for the character and the game. This led to the eventual sequel, Nights: Journey of Dreams. Naoto Oshima had left Sega by that point, so Kazuyuki Hoshino was placed in charge of character design for Nights: Journey of Dreams. Takashi lizuka, the lead game designer, felt that with Hoshino, they captured the style used for the character in the original game. Reception Referring to Nights into Dreams, IGN said "NiGHTS was essentially Sonic in the air..." The IGN review of Nights: Journey of Dreams called NiGHTS a "mysterious creature." The IGN reviewer noted, "strangely NiGHTS and all other characters in Nightopia are from England?" but said the voice acting was "decent, if not a bit over-the-top." In the English version of the game, NiGHTS is voiced by American voice actress Julissa Aguirre. In his review of Nights: Journey of Dreams, Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot described the character as an "androgynous jester." VanOrd said, "NiGHTS is smoothly animated", but said NiGHTS' "vocal personification (may not be) everyone's cup of tea." VanOrd wrote, "The jester is genderless... and the accompanying voice is, well, correspondingly confused. But whether you think NiGHTS sounds like a young woman or a young boy, it's a good fit for the character." Appearances NiGHTS also starred in Archie Comics' 3 comic adaption of Nights into Dreams as well as another 3 comic mini-series about Nights coming to the real world. NiGHTS is also a playable character in Sega Superstars, Sonic Riders, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, and Sega Superstar Tennis. However, in Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, NiGHTS can't speak. Also, in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sega Superstar Tennis, NiGHTS appearance is that of NiGHTS in Nights: Journey of Dreams. Players can also fly as NiGHTS through familiar Nights into Dreams landscapes in Sega Superstars which involved using a special motion sensor camera called the EyeToy. Christmas Nights into Dreams NiGHTS starred in a single level demo game for the Sega Saturn called Christmas Nights into Dreams that featured many date related events not available in the original game. Around the Christmas season, NiGHTS' outfit changes into a red and white Santa-like outfit to match the change in scenery. Other Cameos Over the years, NiGHTS has made many cameos in other Sonic Team games, including Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX (in the Casinopolis level), Sonic Adventure 2 (in the City Escape and Radical Highway levels), Shadow the Hedgehog, as in Lethal Highway, the title screen appears in a billboard without any text. In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, the player can raise a Chao that resembles NiGHTS by giving them Fly animals and Chaos Drives. NiGHTS also appears in Sonic Pinball Party and has its own pinball board themed after NiGHTS into Dreams. Another appearance is in Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg as a hatchable creature. The Circus Hat in Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg resembles NiGHTS' purple jester hat and allows you to roll an egg by walking on top of it. NiGHTS also appears in Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Battle, and most recently in the 3DS version of Sonic Generations. NiGHTS has also made a guest appearance in Phantasy Star Online I & II Plus, in an Episode 2 quest. NiGHTS has also appeared in Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing as the flag waver (fulfilling a similar role to Lakitu's in the Mario Kart series). According to Sega, NiGHTS' addition was last minute due to the fans' demanding his/her inclusion in the game. Sega has also rumored that NiGHTS might become a playable downloadable character based on the sales of the game. NiGHTS is a unlockable character, alongside Reala, in the sequel, Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed. Both can be obtained through the career mode trophy races by having enough stars and unlocking them after reaching them. Trivia *A lot of the casino, carnival, and bingo stages in the Sonic games were named after him/her (i.e. a pinball game in Casinopolis in Sonic Adventure). *(S)he also has a hotel named after him/her as seen in Sonic Adventure 2 '' and ''Sonic Generations on Radical Highway. *For some reason, all of NiGHTS' cameos in the background of Sonic Adventure 2's Radical Highway were removed and replaced with chao images in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. *NiGHTS has appeared in more Sonic games than his/her own personal games. *By most fans, NiGHTS is regarded as a Sonic the Hedgehog character since (s)he was created by Sonic Team as well as being referenced several times within the Sonic universe. However, a crossover game has never been planned. *Along with Sonic, Amigo and Billy Hatcher, NiGHTS is one of SEGA's most popular characters. *In Sonic Riders, the announcer switches between genders when describing actions NiGHTS has taken. Such as when taking flight "Looks like NiGHTS just grew wings because he's flying" and when landing a perfect trick combo "And she makes a nice landing!", among others. *According to NiGHTS's voice actress Julissa Aguirre when chatting with a fan inspiration for her voice for NiGHTS came from Hermione Granger played by Emma Watson from the Harry Potter movies. Category:Characters Category:NiGHTS into Dreams Characters Category:Journey of Dreams Characters Category:Nightmarens Category:Nightmarens (Nights into Dreams) Category:Nightmarens (Journey of Dreams)